As if Dolly Sods wasn’t fascinating and beautiful enough, there’s an extra special attraction that happens every year in the fall, when birds migrate. Within the Wilderness Area area across from the Red Creek Campground, bird enthusiasts from the state’s Brooks Bird Club (among others) maintain a banding station along the Allegheny Front. The fine nets that are strewn along the rock outcroppings temporarily capture migrating birds as they travel up over the Alleghenies on their way south.

After gently extracting the captured birds, the volunteers who staff the station gather information to identify and track the various migratory species. The afternoon these photos were taken they had caught a beautiful Merlin, a type of falcon with a mottled breast and bright yellow feet.

After the birds are caught and observed some are banded and then released to continue their migratory journey.

The bird banding station in Dolly Sods operates throughout September and early October. It makes a great day trip for visitors to Canaan Valley and Davis, WV. And it’s just one of many fascinating reasons for exploring our beautiful West Virginia highlands.

There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to give a place a lift, and this year, for the first time since the inn was built, we now have a fresh new sign — a hand-painted sign, which is a rarity in these parts. We wanted a hand-made sign to reflect the special character of the Inn, complete with minor imperfections.

The new sign was painted and installed by local handyman Al Pityo. Al is the ultimate jack-of-all-trades: resourceful and highly creative, and he also has a steady hand. We also had design consultation from local artist Linda Reeves, who chose a fresh but soft color pallette.

There was lots of back and forth about how to make the sign, and what kind of paint to use, but we eventually agreed on good old latex house paint, a decision I hope we won’t regret.

After a few years of winter winds and summer sun we’ll know if we made the right decision or should have gone with one of those stick-on vinyl signs that modern sign guys make. In the meantime downtown Davis, WV will benefit from the beauty of our colorful and charming hand-made sign.

Fall in Davis, WV this year is more fruitful that I ever remember. For whatever reason — the heavy spring rains, the lack of late frost– the fruit is simply everywhere.

In the bogs on the edge of town extending all the way to Dolly Sods are millions (yes!) of plump red cranberries. They’re often found near cottongrass, and they grow low to the ground, which makes for a back-aching harvest. If you plan to pick, bring a small bucket to sit on and wear your waterproof shoes as cranberries are found in spongy wet places.

Ripe red apples near Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge

As for apples, they can be found along the sides of the roads, in and out of town, and just about anywhere humans have ever been. Many of them are poor quality volunteers — suitable mostly for cider. But some of them are wonderful, and you can only know by biting into one. Unfortunately, most are simply wasted, piling up in alleys and yards, or collected to feed the deer. The abundance is astounding, and the waste a little shameful.

Heavy Pears Ripening in September in Canaan

I discovered a few amazing pear trees this year, and some awesome cherries. Often these trees are zapped by the frost in late spring, which limits their fruit. But this year, when the mild days came, the blossoms stayed, and we are basking in the abundance of what was produced.